Illinois Nursing Home Guide

General Information

Illinois has approximately 1,200 long-term care facilities serving more than 100,000 residents, from the young to the elderly. These facilities are licensed, regulated and inspected at least annually by the Illinois Department of Public Health. The Department also assists the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) with certifying these facilities for participation in federal payment reimbursement programs.

The Department’s Bureau of Long-term Care is responsible for making sure nursing homes comply with the provisions of the state Nursing Home Care Act. In addition, under a cooperative agreement with CMS, the Department conducts certification surveys to ensure facilities receiving Medicaid (state) or Medicare (federal) money for resident payment abide by applicable federal regulations.

Each year, Department surveyors conduct about 10,000 surveys, including annual licensure inspections, complaint investigations and reinspections. The Department’s 24-hour a day Nursing Home Hotline (800-252-4343) receives nearly 19,000 calls and, as a result, staff respond to more than 5,000 complaints.

Nursing homes in Illinois are licensed, regulated, inspected and/or certified by a number of public and private agencies at the state and federal levels, including the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA). These agencies have separate — yet sometimes overlapping — jurisdictions.